Iain Lee sends ambulance to home of suicidal listener live on air

Iain Lee sent an ambulance to a listener who had taken an overdose.

The I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! star kept a man named Mark on the air during his show on talkRADIO on Tuesday, after he phoned in in a state of distress.

The 48-year-old man said that he had previously spoken to Iain on his show, The Late Night Alternative, and needed somebody to talk to.

He said: ‘I’m having a hard time at the moment. I don’t know what I’m doing anymore. I’ve taken tablets.’

Iain, 46, said: ‘All I want you to do is tell my producer your address so she can send an ambulance round.’

When Mark claimed that would upset his wife, Iain said: ‘You know would upset her more? If she found you dead in the morning, wouldn’t it?

‘As a human being, I can’t let you die tonight.

‘We’ve got ourselves in a little pickle, but it’s a pickle that can be sorted out quite easily.’

After some hesitation, Mark gave Iain’s producer his address, with her then calling an ambulance.

Iain said: ‘You’ve done a really good thing Mark, thank you. The world will not be a better place if you’re dead. It will be an ever so slightly darker place. 

‘I promise you that, because you’re a good man, and I don’t want you to die.’

Mark was then passed over to the ambulance services, with Iain promising he would call him back.

After his show, which finished at 1am, Iain tweeted: ‘Just got off the phone to Mark. He’s given me permission to say he’s OK.

Iain kept speaking to the man during a harrowing 30-minute phone call, during which the presenter attempted to locate him. Chris was heard slurring throughout the call as Iain asked him where he was and what he was wearing; he eventually figured out he was near a nightclub in Plymouth.

There were large periods of time where Chris went silent, leaving Iain pleading for him to speak. Thankfully, a police officer found the man and got him help.

Iain himself has been vocal about his battle with depression.

Speaking on a panel last year to mark the launch of Channel 5 documentary Suicidal: In Our Own Words, the star said: ‘I’m in a really good place at the moment, I’m happy for the first time in a long long time.

‘I’ve had two months of actually being happy. I’m in the longest period of sustained happiness I’ve ever been in, I’m in love, I love my kids – one can be happy. I’ve learnt coping mechanisms: I meditate, go for a walk – little tricks that work for me – read a book.’ Referring to the darker moments in his life, he added:

‘I’m in a really privileged position as I have a few quid, I can afford private therapy. The Samaritans are amazing. I’ve called them when I wanted to kill myself, Samaritans have saved my life three times.’

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